Broken
by faithhopelove23
Summary: After losing her family in a fire, Samantha Jones is visited by an old man with twinkling eyes. He tells her all about magic, Hogwarts and that she's a witch. While at school, she tries to cope with her family's deaths and meets the Weasley twins. She becomes friends with Neville and attempts to avoid the twins.
1. Chapter One

The sun was setting behind the orphanage as Professor Albus Dumbledore apparated before it. It was made of dark brick and its sign needed a new painting, yet it was quaint. Trees surrounded the building and Albus could see a few little forts the children made.

He grinned with amusement as he made his way up to the doors. He knocked twice before the matron answered. She was a short woman, but Albus could tell she held a tight ship.

"Mr Dumbledore?" she asked, a kind smile on her face as she held out her hand.

"Why, yes. Are you Ms Opal?" he asked, shaking her hand.

Ms Opal nodded. "It's nice to meet you." She motioned for him to come in. "Samantha is excited to meet you."

"I am looking forward to meeting her too," Albus replied, walking into the orphanage.

It was cosy and clean. He nodded in approval. At least the girl was treated well and lived in a clean place. He just hoped the other children were nice to her.

"So, this school you teach at, what is it called again?" Ms Opal asked as she led Albus up a staircase.

"Seander's School for Gifted Children," he answered.

"Ah," Ms Opal said, nodding. She seemed doubtful. "I've never heard of it."

"Yes, it's tiny. Only about fifty students are enrolled each year. It is a very prestigious school."

"And Samantha was chosen?" Ms Opal said, trying and failing to hide her shock.

"Is there something wrong with Ms Jones?" Albus questioned.

They came to a stop in front of a door. Ms Opal leaned toward Albus, keeping her voice down. "No, there's nothing wrong with her. She just seems like she's never there, she closes in on herself. She has no friends here at the orphanage except her roommate, Betty."

"Has she always been this way?"

"I wouldn't know, but I'm guessing it's because all of her family died in a house fire. Even her baby brother, Thomas."

Albus's eyes scrunched up in sympathy. The poor girl.

"I know you're talking about me!" a voice called through the door.

Ms Opal shook her head. "I'll leave you to it then." She turned back to the stairs as Albus opened the door.

It was a small room, but cosy. There was a bunk bed in one corner and a dresser in the other. A small desk sat beside the door.

A young girl of eleven that day sat on the bottom bunk. Her head was lowered and her long auburn hair hid her face.

"Samantha?" Albus said, a kind smile on his face.

The young girl looked up, and green eyes looked into blue. "Why are you here?"

Albus grabbed the desk chair and sat down in it. "I am here to ask you a few questions."

Samantha fell back onto the bed, groaning. "Oh, great, you're a therapist. Listen, I'm fine."

Albus chuckled. "No, Samantha, I'm not a therapist. I'm the headmaster of a school."

She looked up at him, an eyebrow lifted. "Headmaster?"

He nodded. "I'll explain in a moment, but first, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Sure," she muttered, shrugging.

"Have you ever done anything unexplainable?"

She sat up. "What do you mean?"

"It's a relatively straightforward question, Samantha." He grinned and his eyes twinkled.

Samantha averted her eyes. She began to play with her bedspread.

Albus sighed. He knew she had closed up. To show her what he meant, he took out his wand and made a journal on the desk float.

Samantha blinked in shock. "I've done that before," she blurted out. "But, not with whatever that is." She pointed at his wand.

Albus smiled. "Ms Jones, I am Professor Albus Dumbledore of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He pulled her acceptance letter out of his muggle jacket and handed it to her.

She looked at it with awe. "So… magic is real?"

Albus felt his heart warm up. The childish, muggle fantasy of magic being real. "Yes, it is."

"Can I bring my family back?" Samantha asked, looking so hopeful it made Albus's heart drop.

He shook his head. "No, Samantha. I am sorry."

"Oh." She looked at the letter for a moment before asking, "When can I go?"

"Term starts on September first," Albus answered.

"But it's October."

"Yes, unfortunately, you missed the deadline because of your birthday. You will start next year."

Samantha nodded, although didn't seem too happy about his answer. "Will I need anything?"

"You will. A list of supplies you need will be in the letter. You won't find any of it in normal stores. But don't fret, I will send one of Hogwarts' teachers to take you to Diagon Alley."

"When?" She seemed so eager to go.

"Sometime before September first, dear." He pulled out a pocket watch and looked at the time. He needed to get back to Hogwarts before the end of the Halloween feast.

"You have to go, don't you?"

Albus nodded. "Yes." He stood.

She stood too. "Now I just wait?"

He smiled at her. "It will go faster than you think. I look forward to seeing you next year, Samantha."

Then he left the room, leaving Samantha with her thoughts.

Most of them were not very positive.

* * *

**Edited: 8/11/2020 - thanks to LeanneJordan for beta-reading!**


	2. Chapter Two

The summer was growing to a close, and Samantha was getting restless.

Dumbledore said it would be before September 1st. It was August 10th.

"Come on, Samantha! Come play!" Betty called to her from up in their tree. "Stop worrying about that school! They'll send someone soon!"

As soon as Dumbledore had left, she had told Betty everything. They both had hoped that Betty was also a witch, but as June 5th rolled around no one came to tell her she was a witch.

They were both sore that they wouldn't be able to spend the school year together, but Samantha promised she would try to talk to her every day if they had telephones.

"Betty, I can't stop. It just keeps entering my mind and I can't push it out," she grumbled, shoving a stick into some mud.

"Oof," Betty grunted as she jumped out of the tree. She pushed a few of her brown curls out of her eyes and sat down next to her friend. She wrapped her small arms around Samantha and squeezed. "It'll be all right, Sam."

Samantha smiled a bit at the affectionate nickname her baby brother had called her once he had stopped being obsessed with Mama and Dada.

As thoughts of her family's death infiltrated the carefully made wall around her heart, she called on the guards to battle them away, to protect her.

It helped, thinking like that. It was like her heart was the queen and the wall and guards protected her from thoughts that would harm her.

And Betty was the only one who got to enter the castle of her heart and have tea with the queen.

"Samantha Jones?" a voice sounded behind them.

Betty let go of her friend as they both turned. A tall man wearing all black stood there. Samantha was immediately interested in him because his eyes were so dark and held so much wisdom and intellect. She guessed he was the teacher Dumbledore had sent.

"That's me," Samantha answered, standing.

Betty stood with Samantha and smiled politely at the man.

"Good. I am Professor Snape from -" He glanced at Betty.

"She already knows," Samantha said. Betty nodded her head.

Professor Snape lifted an eyebrow but said nothing about it. "I am here to take you to Diagon Alley. Are you packed? You will stay there until September first."

"Samantha has been packed ever since the beginning of this month, sir!" Betty exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement.

"That's nice," Professor Snape said. "Please go grab your things while I speak with your matron."

"Yes, sir." Samantha grabbed Betty's arm and pulled her through the orphanage doors. They ran up to their room together, giggling with excitement.

"You're going!" Betty squealed, throwing her arms around Samantha.

Samantha smiled and hugged her friend back. In the months since she had moved into the orphanage, Betty had become like a sister.

"Promise me you'll keep in contact," Betty said, pulling back. There were tears in her brown eyes.

Samantha nodded. "Of course." She hugged her friend again before grabbing her trunk. It was issued to her by the orphanage; all of her things had been destroyed in the fire.

The only thing she had that was personal was her mother's cross necklace. It had been on the counter in the kitchen and she had just grabbed it. She wore it around her neck every day, hardly ever taking it off.

"Walk me down?" she asked Betty.

The young girl nodded and brushed a few tears away.

They went down to the entrance hall and saw Professor Snape speaking to Ms Opal. The matron turned and grinned at Samantha. "Are you ready, sweetheart?"

Samantha nodded.

Ms Opal smiled softly as she held her arms out. Samantha let go of her trunk and hugged the woman who had always tried to make her feel better. Though it didn't work, Samantha appreciated the thought.

"Have fun, will you?"

"Yes, ma'am," Samantha whispered, backing out of the embrace. She looked up at Professor Snape. "I'm ready, sir."

The man nodded and motioned for her to follow him.

Before she could though, Betty hugged her one last time. "Bye, Sam," she sniffed.

Samantha patted the girl's shoulder. "Bye, Betty."

Then she walked out of the orphanage and looked around. Professor Snape was standing beside the road, although there was no vehicle. He had an impatient look on his face.

"Don't you have a car?" Samantha asked, searching for a way of transportation.

"No, come grab my arm and give me your trunk."

A bit warily, Samantha did as he said. "What are we doing?"

"Apparating," he answered.

What happened next was one of the worst feelings Samantha had ever experienced physically.

She felt like someone had shoved her into space without a suit. She felt as if she would implode from the inside out.

Then it was gone, as if it never happened.

Samantha blinked in shock as she took in her surroundings. All around her were people wearing robes and pointed hats.

A few were even doing magic.

"Whoa," she whispered in awe, turning in a circle to take in everything around her.

"Yes, it's very nice. Now, let's get on with what we're supposed to be doing," Professor Snape said, looking like he would want to be anywhere but where they were. "Do you have your letter?"

Samantha nodded and pulled the parchment out of her jeans pocket. She had been keeping it on her person ever since she opened it. Her eyes surveyed the letter before her head shot up. "I don't have any money."

Professor Snape shook his head. "You do now. The matron took some money out of your parents' savings. You just need to exchange it for wizarding currency."

"Where do we do that?" she asked.

"At Gringotts. The wizarding bank. Down the street there." Professor Snape pointed to a beautiful white marble building down the alley. "And it is not 'we.' I must be leaving."

"Oh, very well, then. I can manage." Yet she worried that that wasn't true. She was in a foreign place surrounded by foreign people.

Professor Snape gave her the couple hundred pounds Ms Opal gave him and told Samantha to exchange all of it. He then told her she would stay in The Leaky Cauldron until September 1st.

Then he disappeared.

Samantha looked toward Gringotts and its white marble exterior and hoped that she would buy everything she needed before the day was up.

She walked toward the bank, money in one hand and trunk in the other.

* * *

**Edited: 8/12/2020 - ****thanks to LeanneJordan for beta-reading!**


	3. Chapter Three

Samantha walked out of Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions, dragging a loaded trunk full of new stuff behind her.

She had bought almost everything she needed, and a few other things she found intriguing. She might have gone a bit overboard in Flourish and Blotts when she stumbled upon the charms books, and when she came across Sugarplum's Sweets Shop, she was in awe with the different types of candy there was, they were nothing like the sweets her mother bought her when they went to London.

She just had to buy her wand, and that was the only thing she was scared about.

She was worried something bad would happen.

After eyeing Ollivanders for a few minutes, she decided to get it over with so she could go to her room in the Leaky Cauldron. She was tired and worn out by all the new things she had seen in just a few short hours.

And it was an understatement to say she was out of her environment.

Back in Oxford, she was never scared to walk around by herself, or go shopping. She was tough, she could handle it. But this was just mad.  
Everywhere around her, people had been doing magic and that alone was enough to throw her off guard. Not to mention, these wizards and witches wore some of the oddest clothing she'd ever seen.

Opening the door to Ollivanders, she heard a tinkling bell and a man came out from behind a tall shelf with stacks of boxes on it. Moon-like eyes peered at her from behind spectacles. "Ah, I thought so," he said, smiling. He didn't elaborate on what he meant.

"Are you Mr. Ollivander?" she asked, trying to ignore his remark.

"I am. Are you here for your wand, dear?"

Samantha nodded.

"Which is your wand arm?"

"My right arm?" Samantha answered carefully.

Mr. Ollivander grabbed a measuring tape, measured her arm and hand before walking away back to the shelves and disappeared. She heard rustling and a few boxes falling to the floor. Mr. Ollivander came out carrying four boxes.

Samantha then noticed that the tape measure was measuring her by itself. "That'll do," Mr. Ollivander said to the tape measure before it dropped to the ground. He took a wand out of one of the boxes. "Oak, unicorn hair, very stiff. Give it a wave," he said, giving her the wand.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Samantha waved the wand through the air. Mr. Ollivander quickly snatched it back. "Almost, but not quite. Ah, here we are. Fourteen inches. Hazel, unicorn hair and supple flexibility. Try that."

Samantha took the wand from Mr. Ollivander's outstretched hand and waved it. The inside of her body became warm and she felt happy. A few sparks of blue and gold came out of her wand. Mr. Ollivander grinned. "That is a nice wand you have. Beautifully crafted and only one like it. I hope you take good care of it."

"I will," Samantha answered, placing her wand carefully into the box.

After paying for her wand, Samantha left the shop feeling accomplished. As she walked towards the sign that said 'The Leaky Cauldron', she felt someone start to pull her trunk. Turning around she saw a scary looking man.

"Let go," she grunted, pulling on her trunk.

"No," the man said, showing his nasty teeth with a grin. He pulled once more and took off running, holding her trunk.

Despite being in a busy area, no one seemed to notice what had happened. Samantha started to run after the thief, yelling at him to stop.  
As she got closer to him, two boys stepped in front of her path and they all crashed to the ground. Samantha looked up and watched as the man ran down a very dark alley by the name of Knockturn Alley.

"No," she said, quietly. All her money, everything was in that trunk.

"Um, would you please get off me?" the redheaded boy under her said.

"Oh, uh, sure," she answered standing up. She felt panic start to well in her stomach. Turning to the boys, she noticed they were twins. She also noticed that there was a group of redheads behind them.

The woman, who could have only been their mother, noticed her panic. "Are you alright, dear?"

Samantha shook her head. "No. Some man came and stole my trunk."

The woman stepped closer and rested her hand on the girl's back. "Where did he go?"

Samantha pointed to Knockturn Alley and the woman nodded. She turned to her twin sons. "Fred, George, stay with her. I'm going to go find your father."

And with that, she grabbed the hands of a boy her age and a little girl. An older boy with horn-rimmed glasses grabbed the hand of an even tinier girl before following his mother. The girl looked back at Samantha with a reassuring smile.

The three stood in awkward silence for a moment before Samantha said, "Sorry about hitting into you."

"It's alright," the twins chorused.

"You were in a hurry," said the one Samantha had fallen on. "What's your name?"

"Samantha Jones," she answered.

"I'm George Weasley."

"And I'm Fred Weasley," said the one Samantha hadn't fallen on.

Samantha made a mental note that George had a slightly different color of eyes than Fred.

"What are you doing alone in Diagon Alley?" George asked.

Samantha shrugged. "Mum and dad are waiting for me in London. They weren't sure if they should come to Diagon Alley." She had become an expert at lying when she wanted to. Especially, when it had to do with her parents.

"Huh," was all the twins said.

"So, what is your dad gonna do?" she asked.

"Probably notify an Auror."

Samantha tilted her head curiously. "What's that?"

"You're a muggleborn, then, yeah?" Fred asked.

"Um, yes? I don't come from a magical family if that's what you mean. What's an Auror?"

The twins shared a glance. "Like a wizard policeman, I think," George answered, rubbing a hand through his red hair.

Nodding, Samantha looked around for the twin's mother. She wasn't sure how many minutes passed until the woman came walking up with a man who must have been her husband.

The man grinned at Samantha. "An Auror should be here any minute with your trunk."

"Thank you so much," Samantha said to him. "I'm Samantha Jones."

"Arthur Weasley," the man said, shaking her hand. "This is my wife Molly, our daughters Ginny and Brianna, and our sons Percy, Ronald, Fred, and George."

Samantha smiled at each of them as they were introduced. She noted that Brianna's eyes seemed much too wise for a girl that young.

"Are you all alone here, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Yes, my parents were too scared to join me. They aren't wizards." Samantha grinned like it was amusing, but inside, her heart was hurting. She knew her mum and dad would have been up for anything, especially if it had been something like this.

Mrs. Weasley smiled softly. A motherly smile. A smile Samantha missed. "Oh, would you like to join us for dinner in the Leaky Cauldron after you get your trunk back and we finish getting our school supplies?"

Samantha shook her head. "No thank you. My parents are probably worried about me. I've been in Diagon Alley for quite some time."  
"That's alright, dear. Maybe another time?"

"Sure." Samantha grinned. Although she knew it would never happen.


	4. Chapter Four

Later that night, Samantha goes through her trunk. The room Professor Snape had provided for her was bigger than her room at the orphanage.

A king-sized bed with four posts was placed in the middle of the room, a desk and chair sat beside the door, and a loveseat was underneath the large yet grimy window. It was somewhat dreary but Samantha had lit all the lamps and she had a candle illuminating the desk and one of the bedside tables.

After she organized her trunk with the things she will use most in the time she spends in Diagon Alley, she went to the washroom, showered, and dressed in her gray pajamas.

As she crawled into bed, she relished in the softness and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

On her tenth day in Diagon Alley, she went into Gringotts and asked if she could have a vault. The goblin had told her she had to have a parent or guardian to make it for her if she was under the age of seventeen.

She left Gringotts feeling irritated. As she made her way back to The Leaky Cauldron, she walked past a shop called Eeylops Owl Emporium. In the days she had been staying in the Leaky Cauldron, she had asked the owner, Tom, many questions about the wizarding community. The other day he had told her that instead of regular post, it was owl post.

She needed to send Betty letters and she felt herself wanting to have a companion.

Entering the store, the owls around her start to hoot in their cages. One hoot that stands out to her is small and high pitched. It wasn't annoyingly high pitched, it was cute. In a dark corner, Samantha saw the tiniest elf in the store.

She walked toward his cage as he looked up at her with green eyes similar to hers. "Hello there," she muttered, a smile brushing across her face.

The owl hooted and Samantha fell in love with the bird.

She picked up his cage, along with some treats and food, before going over to the counter. She paid for her owl and left the shop.

Once she made it up to her room in the Leaky Cauldron, she opened the cage and her elf owl started to fly across the room, hooting happily. He then landed on her hand. He was a bit bigger than her palm.

Samantha smiled as she grabbed a treat and gave it to him.

"Names," she muttered, looking down at her owl. She sat down on her bed and grabbed a book she had been studying. It was a potions book that was very advanced for her age, but she wanted to read it anyway because everything inside was so interesting.

She opened the book to a random page and saw the potion named Felix Felicis. She hummed. "How about Felix?"

The owl looked up from trying to eat the treat. He hooted and nipped her finger affectionately.

"Felix, it is," Samantha muttered, patting the owl's brown head.


	5. Chapter Five

Before she knew it, it was September 1st. She had woken up at six in the morning and was unable to go back to sleep. She had packed the night before and just had to wait.

She went down and sat at the bar. Tom came out of the kitchen, all ready for the day. He levitated a plate of pancakes to her and she sent him a thankful smile before yawning.

"Do you know how to get to Platform 9 ¾?" Tom asked.

Samantha shook her head.

Tom smiled. "Don't you worry. I'll take you when the time comes."

And he did. As soon as half-past ten rolled around, he closed up the Leaky Cauldron and took hold of Samantha's hand, her trunk in the other.

"Are we going to Apparate?" Samantha asked, remembering when Professor Snape took her to Diagon Alley.

"Yes, ma'am," Tom said.

And that terrible feeling was happening again. Samantha felt like she was going to vomit. Thankfully, it stopped and she gulped.  
Looking around, she saw people in every direction, saying goodbye, waving. A huge scarlet red train sat on the tracks. Kids had their heads poking out and waving.

"Alright, come along, I'll help put your things on the train." Tom pulled Samantha along as if he wasn't amazed. Which, Samantha supposed, was true.

He was probably used to crowded places.

They climbed aboard the train and found an empty compartment. Tom put her trunk up, set Felix's cage on the seat, and sent her a smile. "Have a good year, Samantha," he said before leaving the compartment.

Samantha quickly pulled out some parchment and her quill. She had sent Betty a letter every week in Diagon Alley. In every letter, she told her friend everything that had happened. When she got her reply, Betty sounded very enthusiastic but sad because she missed Samantha.

Samantha missed Betty too. It was weird not having the only person she had ever confided in since her family's deaths.

"Dear Betty," she muttered, scribbling down the letters. She asked how her friend was doing, told her all about the Hogwarts Express, told her how worried she was about which house she would get sorted into.

Nearing the end of her parchment, she signed her name. She opened Felix's cage and tied the letter to his leg. "Take this to Betty, will you?" Samantha muttered.

The train had left the station a while ago. The only things Miandra could see were hills of bright green grass and the occasional cow. She opened the window and Felix flew away. Samantha watched until the tiny bird was just a dark spot in the blue sky.

The compartment door swung open and a flustered boy stood there, looking around with worried hazel eyes. "Have you seen a toad?" he asked.

"No, sorry," Samantha said.

The boy's eyes filled with tears. "Well, alright." He turned and left the compartment.

Samantha sighed before standing and running after the boy. "I'll help you look," she told him once she caught up.

He lit up. "Oh! Thank you!"

Samantha shrugged. "What's your name?"

"Neville Longbottom. You?"

"Samantha Jones."

Neville smiled at her before he opened a compartment door. "Have you seen a toad?" he asked a girl with bushy hair.

She shook her head before standing. "I can help look for it," she said, in a bossy voice.

Samantha wrinkled her nose, trying hard not to immediately dislike the girl. "I'll go that way, and you guys go that way," Samantha said, turning and going back toward her compartment.

On the way, she opened compartments, asked if anyone had seen a toad, and left. She opened one compartment with Fred and George and a boy with dreadlocks. "Oh, hello," she said.

"Ah! Samantha! The girl with the stolen trunk," George said.

Samantha laughed nervously. "Yep! I guess that's me! Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost his."

The three boys shook their heads.

"Alright then. I guess I'll see you later." She left the compartment as fast as she could. She got a funny feeling from the older boys. Like they couldn't be trusted, but not in a bad way. More like in a wonder-if-they-like-to-prank-people type of way.

After a while of asking around, Samantha wished Neville good luck before going into her compartment and grabbing a book. The magical world was so amazing and new, and she loved learning about it. She just wished Betty was there with her. It was like something was missing.

She read for the rest of the trip. About halfway, a woman came asking if she wanted any sweets. Samantha declined despite the hunger in her stomach. She wanted to wait for the feast. Tom had told her it was delicious.

Samantha fell asleep soon after the lady left. Her nap was thankfully empty of any dreams. What woke her up was the sound of someone saying, "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Samantha shot up from her comfortable position on the seat. She looked down at her gray shirt and jeans. She quickly changed into her Hogwarts robes just as the train stopped.

Taking a deep breath, she left the compartment. It was the beginning of a new chapter in her life. She hoped it was a good one.


	6. Chapter Six

Samantha walked through the corridors of Hogwarts to get to her next class. Neville walked next to her, talking excitedly about Herbology.

"Did you know that -" his words were cut off by a cold drawling voice.

"Did you know that Longbottom is a fat pig?"

Samantha spun on her heel, glowering. Ever since she had started school Draco Malfoy had been bullying both her and Neville. Maybe it had been because she was sorted in Gryffindor or maybe he was jealous of her friendship with Neville that had blossomed ever since they had met on the Hogwarts Express.

"Did you know that you're a bloody jerk?" Samantha seethed, getting right up in the boy's pointed face.

Malfoy scoffed. "You're not very good with your comebacks, you know."

"Like you're any better, Malfoy. 'Neville's a fat pig'? Seriously? You couldn't think of something more creative than a crude lie?"

A rosy blush spread across Malfoy's pale face as his eyes narrowed.

"Come on, Samantha," Neville said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Samantha raised her eyebrows before turning around.

"Yeah, go ahead, run, orphan," Malfoy muttered, just loud enough for Samantha to hear.

Spinning around so fast, she felt her fist connect against Malfoy's nose at the same time she felt a cold substance run down her head.

Malfoy cried out, his hands holding his face, bright red leaking out of one of his nostrils. Samantha looked down at herself and found her shoulders covered in bright pink.

"Jones!" a voice cried out. Samantha cringed at Professor McGonagall's voice.

Moments later she was in Professor Dumbledore's office, hands held behind her back and her head held up high.

Professor McGonagall was explaining what had happened, Professor Snape trying to butt in and say how she should be expelled.

The girl stayed perfectly still, staring into Dumbledore's twinkling eyes. She had been in his office a total of ten times since she had started school. Each time had been because she physically hurt someone who had been making fun of her friends or someone who couldn't fend for themselves. The first time was because some third-year Slytherin was stealing some first-year Hufflepuff's books. Ever since then it had escalated to something worse each time.

But did the bully ever get in trouble? No. Did she get a month's worth of detention with Filch or Snape? Yes. She has about a year's worth of detention. She was sure she'd get more detention that would transfer over to next year by the time Christmas rolled around.

"I'd like to hear what Miss Jones has to say," Professor Dumbledore said, holding his hand up.

The two professors closed their mouths and Samantha sighed heavily. "If you ask anyone who saw what happened, they'll tell you that Malfoy started it." She saw Snape open his mouth and she quickly added, "If you ask anyone who had been there the other ten times, they'll tell you that the bully had started it. And it wasn't just a Slytherin. I even punched one of my own Gryffindors because he was making fun of a Slytherin who, by the way, is my friend now."

Samantha turned to Professor Dumbledore. "Malfoy knows about my family. He knows they're dead. He called me an orphan, Professor. And I couldn't just walk away."

Professor Dumbledore's face softened. "Head to your common room, dear. We will speak about your punishment. Go wash up."

Samantha nodded before leaving his office. She had forgotten about the pink stuff that had dried. She felt irritation swirling in her stomach as she peeled some of it out of her hair. She knew who had done it. She wanted to know what it was supposed to do other than somewhat itch.

But she also wanted to know how Malfoy knew she was an orphan. She had only confided that in Neville and she knew he would never tell anyone her secret.

As she arrived in front of the Fat Lady, two voices called her name. Turning, she saw Fred and George Weasley running toward her, faces red with exhaustion. "We've been looking for you forever," George breathed out.

"Did you two do this?" she asked, getting right to the point.

They nodded. "It was supposed to be for Malfoy," Fred answered.

She figured. "What is it supposed to do?"

The twins exchanged a look. "You know Muggle mood rings?" George asked.

"Well, it's like a mood hair dye…" Fred trailed off, watching Samantha's face with a cringe.

Samantha raised an eyebrow before sighing in annoyance. "You guys suck," she muttered, peeling some more pink potion off.

George smiled guiltily. "Don't worry, it'll go away soon."

"Hopefully," Fred added, mirroring his brother's expression.

"Do you have what moods there are?"

"We do," they chorused.

"Good. You get to tell me later after I take a bath." And with that, Samantha went into the common room and ran up to her dorm.

**A/N: ****So, as you can probably tell, I have fast forward about two months. I decided it would be boring to just write about the sorting and other stuff like that when I would pretty much be copying it from the book. The next chapter will actually be Halloween and I have a good original idea for that. I'm hoping it will make the story less Harry Potter's and more Samantha Jones' if that makes any sense. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Edit 1/6/2020: So, I'm pretty sure you guys are wondering why this is the same chapter as chapter six. Well, it's because chapter four is new! Apparently, I forgot to post it (no idea how I managed to do that but whatever). So the new chapter is chapter four. :-D  
**

Stepping out of the bath, Samantha looked at her hair in the mirror. Her auburn hair turned into an ugly mixture of black, white, and red. She bit her lip, trying to breathe evenly, but it was hard when she was fuming.

She had wanted to explode at the twins. She'd been wanting to explode at them ever since school started. They had kept bothering her every day and she didn't understand why. When she had met them in Diagon Alley, she didn't want to be their friend, and she still didn't want to be their friend.

She would try to tell herself it wasn't anything personal, but that was a lie. She was jealous of them. They had a mother and a father and five other siblings. Of course, they didn't know she was an orphan, they didn't realize how lucky they were.

But Neville, having his parents in Saint Mungo's and being an only child, connected with her on a level no one else could. Except for Betty, who Samantha missed terribly.

The two girls sent each other letters as often as they could, but their lives were busy and taking the time to write seemed too difficult to do with all the schoolwork Samantha had.

Samantha ran a hand through her multi-colored hair. She missed her hair already. It was her mother's hair and the only thing her mother gave to her physically. Everything else was her father's. Her eyes, her nose, her freckles.

Quickly dressing in a pair of clean school robes, she avoided looking at the scar that covered her abdomen and left the washroom.

Samantha found the twins laying on the floor beside the fireplace, taking turns passing a crumpled ball of parchment in the air. "Fred, George," she started, sitting cross-legged next to George.

The twins looked up at her and her hair. Their eyes narrowed in worry. "You alright there, Jones?" Fred questioned, sitting up. His brother followed suit and in a moment they were sitting in a small circle.

"Fine," Samantha answered. She noticed how a few Gryffindors were staring at her. Neville sat in a chair and looked at her with a question in his eyes. Samantha sent him a hopefully reassuring smile. She never sat with the twins out of her own free will. "Now, will you tell me the moods?"

The twins exchanged an expression and before turning back to Samantha. "Happy and creative are yellow –"

"– stressed is black –"

"– and you can't forget white; It's shock, boredom, and fear. When your hair turns gray it means you're uncomfortable –" a small smirk spread over George's face.

Fred smirked as well as he continued, "Orange is anticipation, pink is uncertainty and embarrassment –"

"– red is love or anger, but we hope it's usually love." George eyed the bit of red in Samantha's hair and she rolled her eyes. "Green is disgust and jealousy –"

"– blue is sadness." Fred pretended to wipe tears away. "Purple is clarity and relief –"

"– light green is calmness and navy blue is romance," George finished as he and his brother smiled.

Samantha couldn't help but smile with them. "Wow, you two did a lot of research on this didn't you?"

They nodded. "Sorry we poured it on you though," George said.

"Yeah, it was supposed to get on that git Malfoy but you had to go and punch him," Fred added.

"Which was better than the mood dye," George butted in as he saw more red streaming into Samantha's hair.

Samantha sighed. "It's fine. Just, could you find a way to get it out faster? I miss my hair."

"Of course," George said, smiling softly. "Honestly, I miss your hair too. You look weird."

Samantha narrowed her eyes at George before she stood and took a seat next to Neville. "You alright?" he asked her, holding Treavor in his hand.

"No," she muttered, crossing her arms.

Neville reached over and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Samantha. Everything will be okay."

Samantha sent her friend a thankful smile. When Neville says everything will be okay, everything truly will be okay.

**A/N: Okay, I know I said in chap 6 that this chapter would take place on Halloween, but I wanted to put this. Anyway, the next chapter will be on Halloween for sure this time! Happy Christmas! Hope you all had a good holiday!**


	8. Chapter Eight

"Samantha! Get out of the house! Quickly!"

But Samantha couldn't. She was stuck underneath something that was burning her. She could feel herself screaming but her ears only heard the sound of fire crackling. She saw the flames licking her skin, she felt the burning, she smelled it.

Shooting up in bed, Samantha looked around with wide eyes. She was covered in sweat and she was sobbing, tears leaked out of her eyes and down her face.

Hermione opened Samantha's curtains. "Are you alright?"

Samantha quickly wiped her tears away as she nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry, just a bad dream."

"Well, okay then. It's almost time for breakfast anyway." Hermione then sent Samantha a smile before walking out of the dorm.

Getting ready for the day, Samantha noted she was the only one left in her dorm. She was glad only Hermione had seen her like that.

Samantha took a seat next to Neville at the Gryffindor table. She caught Malfoy's eye from across the Great Hall. He smirked at her and she glowered.

"Don't let him get to you," Neville said, taking a bite of toast.

Spreading jam on some toast, Samantha whispered, "He knows I'm an orphan."

Neville's eyes widened. "How?"

Samantha shrugged. "Beats me. I thought only you and the professors knew."

"Maybe he heard the professors talking?"

Samantha raised an eyebrow, eyeing Malfoy. He was shoving cereal in his mouth. Scoffing silently, she said, "And he called you a pig."

Neville laughed as the twins sat down across the two first-years.

"Hello, Neville," they chorused.

George turned to Samantha. "So, everyone knows about your hair."

She took a bite of her eggs. "I figured. I mean, it is kind of hard to miss the multiple colors floating around on my head." She motioned to her mostly light green hair.

The twins rolled their eyes at her sarcasm. "What classes do you have today?" George asked.

"Eh, same old ones. I'm just excited about Charms. We're going to be learning the floating charm, Wingardium Leviosa," Samantha answered before sipping some pumpkin juice. "Do you boys have any pranks for tonight?"

Then she realized it was Halloween. And it was her birthday. She was twelve. She wondered how she had forgotten. Maybe it was the issue with Malfoy, or the nightmare she had the night before, either was, she wished she had not remembered.

Because it was her second birthday without her family.

George opened his mouth to answer her question but his eyes landed on her head, so instead he said, "Whoa, Jones, your hair just turned really blue. Are you okay?"

Neville's hand grabbed hers underneath the table. Samantha took a deep breath, wishing her hair was still normal.

She was thinking of an excuse when the whispers started. They were about her.

"Oh no, when did it happen?"

"Are you sure? I heard she has Muggle parents."

"Do you think she's really okay?"

All the whispers, they were full of pity. And every eye was on her.

She caught Malfoy smirking at her. She knew what he had done. "Damn it," Samantha muttered, shooting up from her seat and walking briskly out of the Great Hall.

She had lied to people, said she had parents. She had lied to the twins that day in Diagon Alley, she'd been lying ever since.

And now everyone would know. Everyone would know she was an orphan. Which wasn't bad, but they would try to comfort her, try to make her feel better.

But she knew the only people who could make her feel better were Betty and Neville. It was because they were kind and they were nice. And they didn't pity you. They understood. They knew what it was like to lose people they loved.

"Hey, Jones! Are you going to cry like a little baby now that your secret is out?"

She hated him. She hated the little jerk. She hated him more than she hated anyone. She hated him as much as she hated her family's killer.

Turning on her heel, Samantha looked Malfoy straight in the eye. He was standing a few feet away but once he saw her hair and facial expression, he took a large step back.

"You had no right," she said, quietly, deadly.

Malfoy tried to cover up his fear. "It was bound to come out anyway."

"Yes! When _I _chose it was time!" Samantha screamed, rushing toward him and grabbing his collar.

"Samantha!" Neville called, running out of the Great Hall. The boy skidded to a stop once he saw his friend. "Uh oh."

Malfoy let out a small whimper as Samantha raised her fist. She went to punch him but stopped mere inches from the boy's nose. "Look, Malfoy, stay out of my life from now on, or I will personally make your school years a living hell. Got it? I don't care if you mess with Potter or Weasley or Granger. But mess with Neville or any of my other friends, I will hurt you in ways you'd never guess. Stop spreading rumors. Stop making fun of me. Just stop."

Malfoy quickly nodded.

"Say it," Samantha said through clenched teeth.

"I'll stop. I promise," he whimpered.

"Good. Now go away." Samantha then let his collar go and Malfoy ran back into the Great Hall as fast as possible.

Neville looked at Samantha in awe. "Just saying that was both super scary and super wicked at the same time," he said with a grin. He then made his way over to Samantha and hugged her.

"You know I love you, right, Neville?" Samantha muttered, clutching her friend tightly.

He nodded. "I know. I love you too. You're like the older sister I never had."

Tears leaked into Samantha's eyes but she quickly blinked them away. "And you're like the younger brother I should have had."

**A/N: I feel kind of bad for probably making you guys think chapter seven was new, so I give you chapter eight! BTW, let me just tell you that this book will be more of a background story that will set the rest of the books up. So, nothing super duper important happens this book, but hopefully you guys still like it! :-D**


	9. Chapter Nine

Samantha didn't eat lunch in the Great Hall, nor did she have the bravery to face everyone at dinner. She had ignored the twins completely, not wanting to admit she had lied to them. Every time she saw them, she went in the opposite direction.

She sat in the common room, wishing for something to eat. Her stomach grumbled and she glared at the essay she was supposed to be writing.

Throwing her quill down, she wrapped her robe around herself, covering her pajamas, and left the warm common room.

As soon as she climbed out of the portrait hole, she regretted not wearing socks or slippers. Her bare feet instantly froze and that made the warmth of her body start to leave. Shivering slightly, she made her way down to the dungeons. As she passed the Great Hall, she could hear screaming.

Dread settled in her stomach but she just ignored it and continued on her mission.

Stopping in front of a portrait of fruit, she tickled a green pear and it turned into a doorknob. Opening it, she stepped into the kitchen. She had been in the kitchen a few times since she had started school. She overheard the twins talking about it and decided she needed to check it out.

It had become a place of refuge for her. When the common room was too full and all her dorm mates were gossiping while getting ready for bed, she came down here where she had people who didn't ask why she was sad, they just fed her and made her feel welcome.

They were house elves and she loved every one of them.

Her most favorite house elf, Pippy, ran over to her with a frightened expression, her huge blue eyes scared. "Miss Jonesy! You need to go back to your common room! There is a troll!"

Samantha bent down after watching all the other elves nod with the same scared expression. "Pippy, what are you talking about?"

"A troll, Miss! In the dungeons!" Pippy screeched, hiding behind a different elf.

"I didn't hear a troll, Pippy. If there is one, I don't think it's in the dungeons anymore."

Pippy started to bawl. "But Miss Jonesy, you could get hurt!" She ran forward and hugged Samantha.

Smiling softly at the elf's affection, Samantha hugged Pippy back. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. How about I just stay here with you guys until the coast is clear?"

Pippy nodded before stepping back and putting a brave face on. Samantha found herself loving the tiny elf more.

Samantha's stomach then growled loudly and the elves immediately got her sitting down at a table. They brought her a plate of food and she thanked them.

"How did you all find out about the troll?" she asked an older elf named Toodey as she took a bite of mashed potatoes.

"Toodey heard Professor Quirrell yell about it, Miss Jonesy. Toodey told the house elves," he answered, wringing his hands.

Samantha hummed and narrowed her eyes. She knew for a fact the troll was not in the dungeons. She would have heard it for sure. Either Professor Quirrell had his facts wrong or he was lying.

Something in her stomach told her it was a lie. She had never really liked Quirrell. She liked Professor Snape more than him and that was saying something.

He just seemed too weird and she didn't trust him, not one bit. If they all ended up doing trust falls with him, she would be prepared to fall on her arse.

She waited with the house elves until she thought it was a good time to leave. Bidding her friends goodbye, she promised she would be safe and left the kitchen.

She made her way up to the Gryffindor Common Room as fast as possible, because even though she acted like she wasn't worried about a troll, she secretly was.

As she spotted the Fat Lady, she breathed a sigh of relief and got into the common room as fast as her numb feet would let her.

"Samantha!" Neville called, rushing up to her and hugging her tightly. "I thought the troll got you!"

A smile spread across her face. "Don't worry, Neville. It'll take something much more dangerous than a troll to hurt me."

Her housemates then started to bombard her with questions about the troll.

"Did you see it?"

"Do you know where it is?"

The twins pushed through the crowd at the sight of Samantha's hair turning white, black, and gray. "Alright, alright, folks, give the girl some air to breathe," George said, looking her in the eye with a face that said 'we need to talk'.

Samantha gulped as the twins motioned for her to follow them. At that moment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked into the common room. They were all covered in dust and looked like they had just been in a fight.

No one noticed the twins lead Samantha into the boys' dorm.

**A/N: Hey, so I think I'm going to be updating this story on Mondays and Fridays. But it mostly depends on how busy I am and if I've written the chapter I'm supposed to be publishing. I've rewritten this story a lot but I love the plot I've made for it. I'm not sure if any of you have seen the other ones before but there were two maybe three, I think. Anyway, thank you to all the people who have favorited and followed Broken, I really appreciate it. It makes me want to keep going and not rewrite it once again lol Hopefully, y'all like this chapter! **


	10. Chapter Ten

Samantha sat down on someone's bed and looked down at her hands. She felt like when she had been caught doing something naughty.

"Samantha," George said, bringing her attention to him.

She didn't know what she saw in his eyes, but it wasn't pity. She looked down again. "What?" she asked through clenched teeth.

George knelt in front of her. "Why didn't you just tell us you lost your family?"

Samantha shrugged and tears filled her eyes. There was no pity in George's eyes. Just confusion. She looked up at Fred and his eye's held the same emotion.

At that point, she knew she could trust these boys. They knew she was strong, they knew she could handle herself.

And at that point, she knew that if she didn't have Betty or Neville, she wouldn't have been able to last as long as she had. Thought of her family's deaths was too much to handle because she knew it wasn't an accident.

She knew someone caused it.

As soon as she had met Professor Dumbledore, she knew her family's killer was magical. No evidence as to what started the fire. To the Muggle police, it was just an odd, unexplainable tragedy.

"It -" She stopped at the sound of her voice shaking. She took a deep breath. "It wasn't an accident. They were murdered."

The twins grew even more confused.

"It was last August. The twelfth. I went to sleep earlier than usual, along with my baby brother, Thomas. I woke an hour before it happened. I thought I heard yelling. At the time, I thought it was just a dream, so I went back to sleep."

Samantha felt a tear run down her cheek as she thought of her brother sleeping soundly in his crib. His blond curls messy, his small hands in fists.

"An hour later, my mother started to scream at me to get out. She was pushing me out of my bed. I was so scared. I asked where Thomas was because he wasn't in his crib. He was gone. She just shoved me out of my room, told me to get out of the house."

Samantha could feel anger rising. She roughly brushed her tears away. "I made it to the kitchen, flames, and smoke everywhere. Then a huge block of wood fell on top of me. I didn't know how I got out from under it at the time. I used my magic to save myself. As soon as I got outside, the coolness of the night was too much of a contrast. I passed out in my backyard just a few feet away from my burning house. When I woke up, I was in the hospital. I knew they were dead as soon as I asked about them.

"I was put into an orphanage as soon as I was better. I didn't get to go to their funeral because of my injuries."

"What about your grandparents?" George asked.

Samantha looked into his eyes before looking down at her hands. She hadn't realized it, but during her story, he had grabbed her hand.

Gulping, she shook her head. "My mother's parents died long before I was born, she was an only child. My father, well, he never spoke of his family. He always told me they had been abusive and he couldn't handle it anymore, so he ran away."

The twins shared a look. "Do you think your dad was a wizard?" Fred asked.

"No," Samantha said, so fast she sounded mean. "No, he - he wouldn't have kept it a secret. We all trusted each other very much and they knew I could understand more than most children."

"Well…" George trailed off before he wrapped his arms around Samantha. "I'm sorry, Samantha."

"It's alright," she answered, shocked by the act of affection.

As he pulled away, she noted his ears had turned red. A small smile brushed across her face. "You guys should go ask the Golden Trio how they turned up so messy." She stood, sent them a thankful smile before making her way out of the dorm.

Before she left, she turned to the twins and stared at them sternly. "If either of you tells anyone what I just told you, you will no longer be the pranksters of Hogwarts." Her hair whooshed dramatically behind her as she left.

**A/N: So, I hope you guys like this chapter! It's not super long but oh well. This isn't going to be a very long story, probably close to twenty chapters. As soon as I finish writing the chapters (I try to write them in advance before I post them) I will be putting up a poll on my profile page. The poll will be a list of three books that I could write after this. If you guys have any suggestions as to what you want me to write (also I have a list of books I could write on my profile page) please tell me. I'm kind of stuck on what to write lol**


	11. Chapter Eleven

Once word got around school that Harry Potter defeated a troll, everyone forgot about how Samantha was an orphan. She could eat breakfast without people bothering her with apologies.

A few days after Halloween, Samantha got a package dropped in front of her. The owl carrying it almost dumped it into her oatmeal but she quickly moved her bowl out of the way. A moment later Felix came carrying a small package and a letter.

Neville's expression grew into a grin and he pushed his food away. "Are you going to open them, Samantha?"

"Uh, sure," she replied, a careful smile on her face. Ripping open the first package, she found hair dye that said 'Hair dye that will dye your hair back to normal!' A laugh escaped from her mouth. "Neville, did you get this for me?"

The boy nodded. "It took a lot of talking to Gran, but I got it for your birthday."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her hair turn yellow. "Thank you," she said, throwing an arm around her friend.

Neville grinned happily.

Samantha placed the hair dye down before turning to the other package and letter. Felix hooted, sending the bacon platter a stare. Samantha chuckled as she gave him a piece. She tore open the letter as soon as she saw who it was from.

_Dear Samantha, how are you? I feel like I haven't spoken to you in forever! You should really talk to the magic people there and get them to put in telephones, I miss your voice! I'm doing okay. (I miss you too much to be good!) Miss Opal took me and a few other girls shopping. I got a beautiful yellow summer dress with purple flowers! It reminded me of you as soon as I saw it and I knew I had to get it! School is alright, I suppose. I have a few friends and they're okay, but I miss my soul sister. (Yes, you are my soul sister. As soon as you left, I knew that's what you were to me.) How was your birthday? Did you do anything fun? How are the magic classes? Have you learned anything super wicked? How is that boy, Neville? Is he a good friend? He better not be better than me. He has to, at least, be the second-best friend you have. (Next to me, of course.) Have you made any other friends? Please reply soon! I sent you a present! I hope you like it! Your best friend and soul sister, Betty._

As Samantha was reading the letter, she couldn't help but laugh at Betty's words. She missed her friend so much. She opened the tiny package and found a note and a ring. The ring was simple. Just a silver band with a yellow diamond - it was probably glass but it was beautiful anyway. It Samantha a moment to realize, but the diamond was shaped like a marigold.

A bitter smile appeared on Samantha's face as she slipped the ring on her right ring finger. Her mother would always get her marigolds for her birthday. She remembered telling Betty that when they had first become friends. She couldn't believe Betty had remembered.

Opening the note, she shook her head, laughing softly.

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAM! I got a ring like yours, but it has a daffodil! It's a reminder that even though we've been through a lot and we can't always be together, we're still friends! I love you so much, Sam! I can't wait until the summer holidays!_

"When was your birthday?" a voice cried.

Samantha rolled her eyes before shoving the letter and note in her robes. "Halloween," she answered quickly.

Fred and George sat down on either side of her. Fred made Neville scoot over. "Why didn't you tell us?" they chorused.

Samantha looked between the both of them. Their expressions were of complete and utter disappointment. She shook her head. "Because we're not friends."

"What do you mean?" George demanded. "Of course, we're your friends."

Samantha pursed her lips. "You guys are in your third year, I'm in my first year. You prank, I don't. You play Quidditch, I definitely do not. We cannot be more different. Besides, why do you want to be my friend anyway?"

The twins seemed at a loss for words. Samantha raised her eyebrows before grabbing her dye and standing up. "I'll meet you at potions," she said to Neville. Her friend smiled and nodded.

Walking out of the Great Hall, she knew they were going to follow her.

She was just a few more turns away from the common room but she stopped and turned around. Folding her arms, she watched as they ran toward her.

As they came to a stop in front of her, Fred said, "Because you're wicked."

She knew she wore an unimpressed expression. "Excuse me?"

"You're wicked, awesome, the coolest. As soon as we met you, we knew you were cool but we didn't know the full extent until you punched a Slytherin fifth year in the face," Fred explained.

George smirked. "When you punched that Gryffindor and became friends with that group of Slytherins, we were sold. You don't care about prejudices, you just care about what's good and wrong. That's what true Gryffindors are. That's why we want to be your friends. That's why everyone wants to be your friend."

Samantha was confused. "What do you mean?"

The twins shook their heads, smirking. "You are so oblivious," George said. "If you haven't noticed -"

"Which you haven't," Fred muttered.

"You are a _badass_, Samantha. To put it mildly. Your family was murdered and instead of using it to get attention, you lied about it so you could seem strong. You are so cool and composed when you fight. You don't act like normal girls. And the best part about it is everyone wants to be your friend or, at least, be on your good side, and you don't give a Hippogriff's arse." George shook his head like he couldn't believe it.

Fred copied his brother. "You could have the pick of anyone in Hogwarts to be the one you hang out with all the time and you choose Neville Longbottom. You could be best friends with Harry bloody Potter and you choose to stay low and be friends with Neville Longbottom. It's maddening."

Samantha blinked. Was she that oblivious? Were they right about her? She wanted them to be right. She wanted to be a badass and a true Gryffindor. She wanted to be wicked, cool, and awesome.

But she didn't feel like it. She felt broken. She's felt broken ever since that cool August night. Yes, she was friends with those Slytherins, but they hung out. They were nice to her when they were around her, and she was the same with them.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew they were right. But despite popular opinion, she was just a broken, orphaned eleven-year-old girl named Samantha Jones. She wasn't special. She had no special ancestry. She was just Samantha.

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, maybe. But people shouldn't want to be my friend."

"Why?" George asked. "Give me one good reason as to why we shouldn't be your friends?"

"Because it will be fake. Who you think I am and who I really am are two _very _different people. Only a few people know the real me. And they love me for who I am. That's good enough for me." She turned away and walked the rest of the way to the Gryffindor common room.

**A/N: Hello, my fellow readers! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**


	12. Chapter Twelve

The twins left Samantha alone after she had pushed them away. They spoke to her on occasion, but they didn't bother her like they had been. Sometimes she missed it, she didn't know why. She had told herself that they annoyed her.

Professor McGonagall had come 'round asking the students if they were staying at Hogwarts for the holidays during the first week of December. Despite wanting to visit Betty and even Ms. Opal, Samantha opted to stay at Hogwarts. Neville decided to go home. He had invited her to spend the holidays at his home but Samantha declined.

She wanted to spend the holidays alone. No friends, just her. Her mother, as soon as her father and Samantha got out of work and school respectfully, would always have the house stocked with food and baking things. They didn't go grocery shopping until the new year.

During the few weeks they had off, they would spend every day together. If it snowed, the family went sledding. Too cold to play outside? They would come inside, make hot chocolate, and watch the television.

They would make Christmas cards for the few families that lived in their neighborhood. They would bake and take cookies to the families. They would go caroling, but they did it all together.

On Christmas Eve, the family would go to their church and listen to the pastor's sermon, together. Always together. When they got home, Samantha's baby brother, Thomas would be asleep in his mother's arms.

And after Samantha was ready for bed, she would sit between her father and mother and just talk. It wasn't even about anything special. But they listened to what she had to say and she was the same with them.

Then she would go to sleep and in the morning she wasn't allowed to open her presents until her father and mother had made breakfast: eggs and bacon. It was always eggs and bacon. After they ate, they would have to get ready for the day, then they would open their presents.

It was beautiful. And Samantha had no idea how much she loved it until she no longer had it.

* * *

Samantha sat in the Great Hall, chess set and Ronald Weasley in front of her. She was bored and had asked if they could play. Harry Potter sat next to her, watching in awe as her pawn killed Ron's knight.

"Where's Granger?" Samantha questioned, scowling as Ron put her in check.

"She went home," Harry replied. He looked up at Samantha after pushing his glasses up his nose. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about your family."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, sorry."

Samantha shrugged, having her king move away from the threat. "It's alright. You don't need to be sorry."

They were plunged into a somewhat awkward silence as Samantha and Ron played. In just a few moves, Samantha smiled triumphantly and said, "Checkmate."

Ron sat back and stared at the chessboard, a look of utter shock on his face. "Bloody hell," he muttered, running a hand through his red hair. "I can't believe you beat me."

Samantha smirked. "I used to be in a chess club at my primary school. And my dad loved to play. I grew up playing chess."

Ron just shook his head as he started to clean the game up.

The twins ran into the Great Hall, laughing loudly. "Harry! Ron! Come on! We challenge you both to a snowball fight! No magic."

The boys got huge grins on their faces before shooting out of their spots and running over to the twins. George noticed Samantha and he waved at her. "You can join us too, Samantha."

"Thanks but I have some homework I need to catch up on," she said, cleaning the rest of the pieces up.

George seemed like he was going to say something but Fred quickly said, "Alright. We'll see you later!"

Samantha nodded, watching as the four boys ran out of the Great Hall. She waited a while before making her way up to the common room. Sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, she wrapped her fingers around her mother's cross necklace.

Even when it had been the anniversary of her family's death, she hadn't been as sad as she was at that moment. There was a sadness that crept into her heart and head. It was breathtaking and so strong. If her hair still had the mood dye in it, she knew it would be completely blue.

Her limbs felt so heavy like there were weights tied to them. She closed her eyes and felt tears well up. They leaked down her cheeks, the fire glistening off of them. "Why?" she croaked out. "Why did they have to leave?"

She pursed her lips together when she felt them start to tremble. She didn't know where this sadness came from. It would have made more sense if she felt this way a few months after her family died. Not more than a year later.

A loud crack sounded then, "Miss Jonesy?"

Samantha opened her eyes and found Pippy. She tried to smile through the tears. "Oh, hello, Pippy."

"What is wrong with Miss Jonesy?" Pippy questioned, her innocent eyes worried.

"I'm just sad," Samantha whispered.

"Would Miss Jonesy like a hug from Pippy?"

A sob escaped as Samantha nodded. "Yeah, I would love a hug."

Pippy then wrapped her small arms around Samantha and rubbed the young girl's back. "It will be alright, Miss Jonesy."

Samantha started to cry. Her sobs were heartwrenching enough to break even Draco Malfoy's cold heart. They were the sobs that made it hard to breathe, the sobs that pulled at your heartstrings.

She didn't know how long she cried for. She just knew that Pippy told her she had to go and soon after that the portrait swung open and the four Weasleys and Harry Potter found her in the weakest state she had ever been in.

**A/N: Hey, everyone! Here is chapter 12! I hope y'all like it! **


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Samantha hid her face, roughly wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry," she got out, standing up quickly. She hated how weak her voice sounded. She hated the way her eyes felt bloated.

Looking up for less than a second, Samantha saw that Ron and Harry were muttering to themselves, Percy looked like he had no idea how to handle this situation, but the twins. They knew what to do. They knew how to make her feel better.

And that made her want to cry even more because they wouldn't make her feel better. She pushed them away. She told them she would never want to be their friend.

They all stood there for a good five minutes, awkward tension so thick Samantha wasn't sure if it would ever disappear. The five minutes felt like five hours and with each passing moment it got longer and longer.

"Harry and I will be in our dorm," Ron said, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him away from the older boys.

"As will I," Percy said, scratching behind his ear. "I need to finish an essay."

Then it was just Samantha and the twins.

She groaned loudly before plopping down on the sofa and rubbing her eyes. "Should've gone to my dorm," she muttered, glaring at the fireplace.

The twins sat down on either side of her. Fred wrapped an arm around her and George held her hand. They didn't say a word. And Samantha realized that was what she needed. Just comfort. Comfort without words. Comfort without pity. Just plain old affectionate comfort. Like the kind her mother used to give her.

Closing her eyes, Samantha took a deep breath. All that was to be heard was the wind outside and the crackling of the fire. At that moment it was Christmas eve and she was with her mother and father. And they were just enjoying each other's presence. A soft smile crept on her face.

"Thank you," she whispered.

George's hand tightened around hers. "You're welcome," he whispered back.

**A/N: Hey, guys! I know this chapter is pretty short but I felt like it was a good place to stop it. I wanted to say that after this book (I really should be waiting until the last couple of chapters to put it, but whatever) ****I am going to post the first chapter of a few books. I'm thinking Cursed (the sequel to this one), I Swear, NINE, Lost and The Strongest Avenger. I have the summaries on my profile page. When I publish the first chapters, I will start a poll and you guys can choose which ones you want me to focus on! And if you see any stories that spark your interest, send me a PM or post it in a review and I will think about writing that one as well!  
**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Samantha opened her eyes, a groggy groan escaping her lips. It was Christmas morning. "Oh man," she muttered, hiding her face in her pillow. She had stayed up way too late the night before, reading.

She normally didn't enjoy reading, unless it was a fiction story, but she just wanted to get out of her head. She didn't want to think about anything and reading about types of potions somewhat helped.

She sat up slowly, taking in the pile of wrapped parcels at the end of her bed. She narrowed her eyes, counting the presents. Five presents. That couldn't be right. She only had Neville and Betty to send her something.

Carefully, she climbed to the edge of her bed and grabbed the biggest gift. Unwrapping it, she found a purple sweater with a gold S. Inside was a letter.

_Dear Samantha, Happy Christmas from the Weasleys! I hope you have a good rest of your school year and I just wanted you to know that we send you our condolences. Molly Weasley._

A tear leaked out of Samantha's eye. The twins had told their mother and she cared enough to knit her a sweater and send her a not. Carefully pulling on the sweater, Samantha ran her hands down the soft yarn.

She grabbed the second biggest parcel and tore it open. Enough pranking products to make Filch sob came falling out. She knew it was from the twins.

Neville had gotten her a Remembrall and she smiled at the memory of him getting one from his Gran. Betty got her a cute Muggle outfit, a flowy blouse, comfortable jeans, and a denim jacket. They looked used but Samantha didn't care.

The last present was so small and covered in black paper. She carefully unwrapped it, mind going to curses or dark magic. But inside was a plain silver chain and locket. On the locket, there was a very fancy R with swirls surrounding it. She opened it up and a small piece of paper came falling out.

_A family heirloom for you. See you next year. E.M.R._

Samantha narrowed her eyes. What did it mean by a family heirloom? And who the hell was E.M.R?

"Samantha!" she heard a twin call.

Quickly putting the locket on and her mother's necklace, she ran down to the common room, smiling happily at the twins. "Thank you so much," she said, hugging them both.

"You're welcome," they chorused, grinning.

She didn't know what happened between them, but she knew they understood her and she understood them. She wasn't sure if they were friends quite yet but she wouldn't push them away anymore.

"I see Mum made you a sweater as well," George said, poking her sleeve.

Samantha hugged herself, a smile playing at her lips. "Yes, it's so comfortable." Her mind was still reeling from the locket and note, but she decided it was Christmas. She would ponder it another day.

* * *

The whole day she spent with the Weasleys and Harry. She had more fun than she had in months. Of course, she wished Neville was there, but it was a lot of fun. She wrote Mrs. Weasley, Betty, and Neville her thanks, questioning her two friends on the gifts she had given them.

She found herself sitting in between Fred and George in the Great Hall. The remaining students were all sitting together at a large table, even the professors were there.

Samantha giggled at something Fred said. She felt George staring at her. "Yes, George?" she asked, taking a bite of her food while watching Harry and Ron pull a wizard cracker.

"You don't seem so angry or sad anymore," he said softly, his breath hitting her cheek.

She turned toward him, sighing. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when I first met you, I could tell something was wrong. I thought it had been because your trunk got stolen. But then when I saw you on the train, it was still there. Then you kept getting into fights and I knew something was wrong, but I didn't push because I knew you wouldn't tell me. When Malfoy spread the rumor of you being an orphan, I knew it was true." A crooked smile graced his face. "Then you were crying and you let me and Fred comfort you. Now you seem better."

Tears filled her eyes. Was she that easy to read? Had everyone noticed what George did? She wasn't sure if she was better. She just knew something was different. But she was conflicted about whether it was a good difference or a bad one. Because, while she missed her family with all her heart, she could talk about them without becoming sad, she could laugh at the memory of her baby brother calling her Sam and giggling.

The wall she had made around her heart had been breached by Betty first, then Neville came second. Now it was Fred and George whom she was carefully allowing to come into her castle.

She felt like it was a good thing, but at the same time, if she lost any of those people, she wasn't sure what she would do.

"Maybe I am," she muttered, smiling at George.

**A/N: Here is chapter fourteen people! I hope you guys like it! **


	15. Chapter Fifteen

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Samantha questioned, trying to find the twins' eyes in the dark. They were in a small nook, pushed up against each other as they waited for their fireworks to go off.

It was New Year's Eve and the twins wanted the new year to start right. Right meaning getting Filch super bloody mad and quite possibly getting detention. They told Samantha it was worth it. She was doubting their words.

"Of course, Samantha. We're at a minute until 1992. Who's ready for the best New Year's Eve ever?" Fred asked.

"I am!" George whispered.

Samantha felt him jump up. A soft giggle escaped from her mouth. "I'm ready."

"Great! Now… ten… nine…"

Samantha heard George mutter the spell to light the fireworks. She held her breath as the twins counted down. "Eight… seven… six… five…"

They peaked out of their nook, the few of the entrance hall making Samantha gasp. Fireworks had been put everywhere. She noticed some of the portraits cringing.

"Four… three… two... ONE! Happy New Year!" all three students screamed as the fireworks started to go off. They watched it for a good minute or two before Filch came fuming around a corner, screaming curses.

Fred pressed the wall behind them with his wand and muttered a word. The wall slid back, showing a secret entrance. The three were a giggling mess as they walked through the walls of Hogwarts.

"Did you see Filch's face?" George asked, clutching his stomach.

"How could we have missed it?" Samantha replied, letting out a new string of giggles.

"Okay, okay, shh, we have to get to the common room as fast as possible." Fred tapped a wall and a corridor came into view. They came out and jogged as fast as possible without being too loud.

"Come now, Mrs. Norris, it had to have been those Weasley twins. We'll guard the portrait so they won't be able to get inside."

Before Samantha knew it, George had pulled her into a nook.

"What are we gonna do?" she whispered. "Where's Fred?"

"I have no idea. And Fred's on the other side. Look."

The two looked out of their hiding spot and saw Fred waving with a cringe on his face from another nook.

Samantha ran a hand through her auburn hair. "Oh man, we're stuck. We're gonna get caught."

George just stayed quiet. After a few minutes, Filch had yet to leave, despite the mess he should be cleaning up in the entrance hall. Samantha slid down the wall and wrapped her robe tighter around her. George sat down next to her and sighed.

"What's that?" George questioned, pointing at her locket.

Samantha ran a hand over the R before opening it and giving the note to George. He read it with a curious expression. "Do you think it's from your dad's family?" he asked, giving it back to her.

It had been bothering Samantha so much, she had thought of almost every single explanation for the locket, but she had a feeling she truly had no idea who it was from.

"I have no clue, George," she answered, placing the note in the locket. "My dad's last name was Jones. This person's last name starts with an R. Maybe it was supposed to go to someone else?"

George nodded. "I guess you'll find out this September."

Samantha's stomach clenched. "I guess so."

Yawning, she leaned her head on George's shoulder and closed her eyes. His warmth lulled her and soon she was asleep.

* * *

Samantha watched her father cross his arms, an irritated glare on his face. "What are you doing here?"

She was supposed to be inside the church, with her mother and brother, but she was curious, she wanted to know who the man was.

She couldn't see his face but when he spoke he sounded like a boy. "Come now, Walter, we need to talk."

"No. I never wanted to see you or anyone else ever again. I thought I made that clear?"

The boy shook his head. "Please, Walt. You owe me at least this."

Her father pinched the bridge of his nose before sighing. "Fine. But not here. I'll notify you when it's clear."

"Thank you," the boy said before turning away.

Samantha ran back into the church, wondering who the boy was and why her father owed him.

* * *

Filch had gotten tired of waiting around four. He muttered in irritation as he made his way down to the entrance hall, his demon cat following him.

Samantha opened her eyes and stretched. She felt George shivering and she cringed. "Hey," she whispered, shoving him. "We can get into the common room."

George's eyes shot open. "Oh thank Merlin. I'm freezing."

They left their nook and got Fred. The Fat Lady stared at them in shock as they said the password.

"I'll see you two later," Samantha yawned, making her way up to the girls' dorm.

"See you, Sam," Fred said. George waved before they disappeared.

A soft smile crept across her face at the nickname. Despite her better judgment, Fred and George were her friends.

As she laid down in her bed, she remembered her dream and her fatigue disappeared. She stared up at the red curtain as her mind raced.

Was that the boy who'd given her the locket? Who was he? Why did her father never talk about him?

Samantha groaned, throwing an arm over her eyes. She would not be falling asleep anytime soon.

**A/N: Hey people! We got the fifteenth chapter here! I'm thinking five or six more chapters of this book (maybe, I'm not quite sure). Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed!**


	16. Chapter Sixteen

School went by quickly and soon Samantha forgot all about her dream and hardly ever thought about the locket. She was too preoccupied with essays and her friends. When Neville was busy, she would bother Fred and George. When the twins were busy - which was most of the time - she and Neville would study and hang out.

She knew something had changed in her. She liked it.

On April 1st, Samantha waited for the twins to come down to the common room. She was due for a class but waiting for them was totally worth being late.

"Bloody hell!" she heard a voice scream.

A snicker came out of her mouth. Footsteps echoed throughout the common room and the few people were in there turned their heads toward the staircase to the boys' dorm. Giggles escaped people's mouths.

Without turning her head, she knew what they were laughing at. A proud smirk spread across her face. She felt two boys sit next to her. "Morning, boys. Happy Birthday," she said, finally turning to acknowledge them.

Fred and George's gorgeous red hair had become hot pink. Samantha found it difficult to keep her laughter inside.

"It was you," Fred muttered, looking at her in shock. She had never really been the best at pranking so it must have come as a surprise to the twins.

Samantha had studied this specific potion for quite some time. She had even got Professor Snape to help her with some of it. He had been somewhat helpful and nice. But it was Professor Snape, so he still said something snarky. Which had caused her to say something in response and caused her to lose five house points. It was worth it to see the look on Fred and George's faces.

"Took me a bit," she said, tugging a strand of Fred's hair. "You both look dashing."

"You're a demon," George said, although he was grinning like a lunatic.

Samantha shrugged. "I try. Now, I must be off. I'm already late. You two slept in." She stood up and left the common room with a swagger.

* * *

At dinner that night, Fred and George sat next to Samantha. "Is this our only birthday present?" George questioned, taking a bite of potatoes.

Samantha shrugged, trying to hide her sneaky smile. "Yes. Don't you like it?"

George narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Yes." He nodded his head.

"Okay, good. I have to go. I'll see you two up in the common room." Before the two had a chance to say anything, Samantha left the common room after sending a few people a look.

Instead of going back to the common room, Samantha made her way down to the kitchen. Walking inside the house elves started to talk excitedly.

Pippy ran over and hopped up and down. "We is ready Miss Jonesy! And Pippy has the note!" The house elf grabbed a piece of parchment and waved it around.

Samantha grinned, looking around at all the food and drinks on the table. A pile of gifts sat in the corner. She had gotten all the twins' gifts after sending Mrs. Weasley a letter and talking to their friends. She had been wondering why they hadn't seemed more bummed out. "Great! You guys did a great job!"

Looking at the clock, Samantha took a breath. People should be showing up soon. Right at that moment, Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell came into the kitchen. Lee held a bag full of something.

Samantha raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled brightly. "Got drinks!"

"This was a good idea, Jones," Angelina said, giving the first year a smile.

Samantha smiled. "Thanks. Who else is coming?"

Angelina thought for a moment. "Well, we invited most of the Gryffindors, a few Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws. I'm pretty sure Slytherin got word so we may want to expect a few of them."

Samantha nodded. "Okay, we should have enough food." She turned to the house elves who all smiled happily. "You guys can stay if you want. And have as much food as possible."

Pippy shook her head with a smile. "Oh no, Miss Jonesy. This is your party. Pippy and the house elves will be resting. When do you want Pippy to deliver the note?"

"Sometime around eight, if you could, please," Samantha answered.

Pippy nodded and with that, the house elves all popped away.

"Man, they would have made this party way cooler," Lee muttered, setting up the drinks.

A little after seven-thirty, the kitchen was filled with people talking and laughing. Samantha stood next to Neville, whom she had dragged down here. Not very many first years were there, but she had made sure Harry, Ron, and Hermione had come.

Hermione, when she'd heard about it, threatened she would tell Professor McGonagall but Samantha noticed that she was laughing harder than Harry and Ron. Samantha smirked. The girl was a rule-breaker deep down.

"They're coming!" a boy called out, coming into the kitchen.

Within a second, Samantha dimmed all the lights and hid with Neville behind a table. Soon after that, she heard Fred and George come into the kitchen.

"Hello?" George's voice rang out.

"SURPRISE!" Samantha screamed, turning the lights back on while also lighting a small firework and setting it off. Everyone else joined in her scream.

The twins jumped in surprise before they started to laugh. "Lee! Was this your idea!" they chorused, looking at the boy.

Lee shook his head, pointing at Samantha.

She smiled at them brightly. "Surprise," she said again, doing jazz hands.

They were speechless. They looked around at everything. "You did this?" Fred asked.

"All by yourself?" George added.

"I had some help," Samantha said, motioning toward their friends.

George grinned. "Wow."

"Come on, you two! Let's have this party!" Lee cried out, throwing Fred and George a drink.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

It was nearing one in the morning when all the older kids started to leave. Samantha sat at a table, regretting the butterbeer she had tried.

"You good, Sam?" George asked, plopping down next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, causing the young girl to groan.

"How much have you had?" she questioned, eyeing his drink of butterbeer. She knew it had a small amount of alcohol but she remembered seeing George with more than three full bottles of the drink.

George shrugged. "Can't remember."

He went to finish his drink, but Samantha quickly grabbed it. "No more. We should get going." She looked around and noted that they were the only ones left. "Where's Fred?"

"He left with Lee." George grabbed her chin and made her look at him. A goofy grin was on his face.

Samantha narrowed her eyes before scooting away from him. "Come on, birthday boy. I'm tired."

George nodded, standing up. He grabbed Samantha's hand and helped her up. "Thank you," she said hesitantly, not liking the way George was acting.

"Sure thing," he replied.

The two left the kitchen, making their way up to the Gryffindor common room through secret passages.

"I've been meaning to ask," Samantha whispered. "How did you find out about these passages?"

"First year, Fred and I were in Filch's office. He left, we poked around. We found a piece of parchment and we knew it was something important, even though it was blank. It took us the rest of the year, summer holiday, and the first few months of our second year to figure out how to work it. When we finally did, well, it showed us a map of Hogwarts and told us where everyone was."

Samantha looked up at her friend in shock. "May I see it?"

George chuckled, patting her back. "Gotta ask Fred. But he'll probably say yes."

When they found themselves safely in the common room, George walked Samantha over to the staircase to the girls' dorms.

Samantha shuffled awkwardly on her feet, feeling like George wanted to say something.

Her feeling was right, as George quickly said, "Thank you so much for the party."

Taken aback, Samantha smiled hesitantly. "Of course. I'm glad you had fun."

Then, fast as lighting, George bent down, kissed Samantha on the cheek, and ran up to his dorm.

The young girl stood there for a good minute before making her way up to her dorm. As she laid her head down, she still felt the warmth of George's lips on her cheek.

**A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter isn't the best (and somewhat unlikely that first years would go to a party). I just had no idea where to go. I hope you all like it and enjoy it! Btw, reviews will be much appreciated!**


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Samantha walked down a corridor, speaking to Neville about Herbology. He said something funny and she laughed.

She saw Fred and George leaning against the wall outside of the common room and she gulped. It had been a couple of days since their birthday party and thankfully Neville had kept her busy with helping her with Herbology.

"I'll be inside in a second," Samantha muttered to Neville.

The boy nodded, sent her a smile, and went into the common room.

"What's up?" she asked, shuffling her feet awkwardly.

"I wanted to talk to you about the other night," George said after Fred shoved his shoulder.

Samantha shrugged, trying to act nonchalant but she felt her cheeks start to heat up. "It's all good. You were tired, not to mention you had quite a bit of butterbeer."

"Yeah, but -"

"I said it was okay." Samantha forced a smile on her face. "No harm done, we're still friends."

George opened his mouth to say something while shaking his head.

"Thank Merlin, we thought you had been avoiding us," Fred said, interrupting his brother.

"Oh no, Neville has just been helping me with homework. I'm a lost cause when it comes to Herbology." Samantha chuckled nervously.

Fred smirked. "Well, we should let you get to it, then." The three went into the common room and went their separate ways.

"What did they need to talk to you about?" Neville asked, watching the twins sit down next to Lee.

"George kissed my cheek the other night." Samantha opened her Herbology book.

Neville's eyes widened. "You think he likes you?"

Samantha sent George a fleeting glance. "Maybe. He had way too much butterbeer so he probably wasn't thinking straight."

A small smirk appeared on Neville's face. "I think he likes you."

Samantha glared at her friend. "He's fourteen, I'm eleven. Not likely."

But Neville's smirk just widened.

**A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry for the short chapters! I'm not sure when this story is gonna end, I've already written over twenty chapters. Oh well. Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites!**


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Being busy with school and helping the twins plan pranks long into the night did not make Samantha notice Malfoy's suspicious behavior. He seemed too proud, too arrogant.

And the Golden Trio seemed way too worried whenever Malfoy was around.

Three weeks went by and the tension seemed so thick, Samantha could have probably cut it with a butter knife. Yet, no one else seemed to notice.

On a Wednesday night, Samantha woke up from a nightmare. For some odd reason, she'd been getting them more than usual. They always included the boy in her dream.

She got out of bed, wanting to wash her face free of tears. However, she noticed Hermione's bed empty.

Sneaking down to the common room, she heard voices.

"...it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby." That was Ron. She peeked around and saw his hand wrapped in a red handkerchief. Samantha cringed.

A tap on the window took Samantha's eyes to Harry as the boy opened the window for his owl to fly in. "It's Hedwig! She'll have Charlie's answer!"

Samantha's suspicions grew at the twins' older brother's name.

Harry ripped open the letter and the three read it. Samantha was eternally grateful for Hermione's habit of muttering things she read.

Samantha could only hear bits and pieces but that was enough for her. "I'd be glad… Norwegian Ridgeback… I think the best thing… visit me next week… illegal dragon… tallest tower at midnight on Saturday?"

Running back up to her dorm, her mind was reeling. It had to be the groundskeeper, Hagrid, who had the dragon. She knew of his love for interesting creatures. Malfoy must have seen the dragon and that was why they had to get the dragon to Charlie because Hagrid was sure to be fired if anyone found out.

Samantha liked Hagrid. He was a sweet man. And Malfoy was a git. She'd try to help them as much as she could.

**A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! I'm really sorry about the short chapters I've been doing! I promise chapter twenty will be long, it's just that I have writer's block and I'm stuck. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Shoutout to Pamela Hutchins for reviewing every chapter! You're awesome!**


	20. Chapter Twenty

"Samantha, I need to talk to you," Neville muttered to her at breakfast.

The girl stifled a groan. She had already been stressing out about that night, it was already Saturday. "Yeah, Neville?"

"Malfoy has been talking -"

"I know," Samantha interrupted. "I know. Look, I'm going to help them, okay?"

Neville nodded, looking more relaxed.

But Samantha was not at all comforted. She had a bad feeling about it.

* * *

Samantha heard Hermione leaving the dorm. She took a deep breath, waited a couple of minutes, then left the dorm.

She wrapped her robe tighter around her body as she went snuck into the common room. She saw Harry and Hermione standing close together. In one swift moment, Harry threw a cloak around them and they both disappeared.

Samantha's eyes widened. The portrait door swung open and she heard them leave the common room.

"Okay," she breathed, waiting a few minutes before making her way out of the common room. She heard soft footsteps down the corridor. They would be going to get the dragon. She decided she would wait up at the tower.

Making her way up the stairs, she stayed silent and sneaky. About halfway up, Samantha saw Mrs. Norris. The cat stared at her with those red eyes. Samantha froze and groaned when she felt a presence behind her.

"Hello, Miss Jones," Filch's voice rang out and seemed much too loud for the silent castle.

Spinning on her heel, she smiled at the caretaker. "Hello, Mr. Filch, how are you doing this lovely night?"

The old man's face split into a grin. "I've found two students out tonight, you and Mr. Longbottom. I am doing just fine."

Samantha's stomach sank. Neville?

Filch led her to his office. When he opened the door, Neville was sitting in a chair. He looked up and gave Samantha a cringe-like smile.

"Stay here," Filch said after Mrs. Norris meowed. He left the office and Samantha heard the door lock.

"Neville, what are you doing?" she demanded. "I told you I was going to handle it!"

"I know! I'm sorry. It's just, I heard Harry and Hermione leave, then I saw you leave and I couldn't let my best friend go alone!"

Samantha took a deep breath. "It's alright. But we're gonna get detention, you know?"

Neville nodded. "Yeah."

Samantha copied her friend before sitting down in the chair next to him.

They sat there for a while, waiting for Filch to come back. Although, when the door opened, it was not Filch. It was Professor McGonagall. She gave the two a look that told them not to mess her with.

Samantha and Neville followed the professor down to her office. When the door opened, Samantha found Harry and Hermione.

"Harry! I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag -"

Harry started to shake his head and Samantha grabbed Neville's arm. Neville cringed and all four students looked up at Professor McGonagall.

As she scooped out the punishment, Samantha stood still and took it better than her housemates. She knew Neville would probably take it the hardest, throughout the whole time she held his hand.

Two-hundred points lost. As the four made their way back up to the Gryffindor common room, they stayed silent.

The four split up and went to their separate dorms.

"Tomorrow is gonna be hell," Samantha said, crawling into her bed, knowing she would not be able to fall asleep.

Hermione nodded before closing the curtains around her bed.

Samantha sighed heavily. At that moment, she wished she was back at the orphanage with Betty.

* * *

"Samantha, what happened last night?" George asked. They were in the Gryffindor common room and Samantha was doing school work in a secluded corner.

The twins stood in front of her.

She looked up for a second, before turning back to her book. "What are the rumors?" she asked, cool and collected. Having everyone hate her wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She actually enjoyed it. No one was trying to be her friend anymore.

"That Harry and Hermione told Malfoy a lie about a dragon and both you and Neville overheard. But we know you better, Sam." George sat across from her. "What really happened?"

Turning the page to her book, Samantha replied, "I wanted to help Harry and Hermione. But I just ended up making everything worse. That's really all that happened." She bit her lip before turning to her friends. "Are you, you know, still my friends?"

"Of course," Fred answered, grabbing a chair and sitting backwards on it.

"We know you were just trying to help, even though you guys lost us two-hundred points." George smiled at her to show he was just kidding.

She smiled at them. "Yeah, oh well. Help me with this? I really have no idea what I'm doing."

The twins chuckled.

* * *

Samantha, Harry, Hermione, and Neville made their way to the entrance hall at eleven o'clock for their detention. Filch stood there with Malfoy.

The boy gave Samantha a sneer. A few days ago, she had almost beaten him after he picked on Neville for losing so many points.

"Follow me," Filch said, lighting a lamp. He led them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" He leered at them and Samantha rolled her eyes. "Oh yes… hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me… It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days."

Samantha wasn't sure how many times she would roll her eyes while Filch spoke. He was an annoying old man.

"I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed… Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, it'll be worse for you if you do."

The group marched off across the grounds.

"Why are we doing this at night?" Samantha asked, her arms crossed against her chest.

"Scarier for you five," was Filch's simple answer.

Samantha hummed. It made sense.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started," a voice called. Samantha recognized the voice as Hagrid's.

She saw Harry's face flood with relief.

"I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy - it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece," Filch said when he saw Harry's face.

Samantha perked up from behind the group. She had been wanting to see what was in the Forbidden Forest since Dumbledore mentioned it on September 1st.

Malfoy stopped and she bumped into him. She expected him to turn and yell at her but he didn't seem to notice her body hitting against his.

"The forest?" he asked. Samantha could hear the tiniest squeak in his voice. A slow smirk slid across her face. "We can't go in there at night - there's all sorts of things in there - werewolves, I heard."

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Neville clutch Harry's sleeve. Her stomach twisted for her friend but she couldn't pass up the chance to poke fun at Malfoy. "Scared, are you, Malfoy?" she muttered beside him.

The boy sent her a glare.

"That's your problem, isn't it? Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?" Filch said with a gleeful smile on his face.

A moment later, Hagrid came out of the dark. Samantha noted the quiver of arrows over his shoulder. "Abou' time. I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?"

"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," Filch said coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."

Hagrid frowned at Filch. "That's why yer late, is it? Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back for them at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left for them," he added nastily.

As he started back toward the castle, Samantha waved and called, "Bye, Filch! See you later!"

Neville let out a shaky laugh and Samantha smiled, glad she could make him feel a bit better.

"I'm not going in that forest," Malfoy said. Samantha smirked at the panic in his voice. Oh, he was scared.

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts. Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay for it," Hagrid said.

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd -"

Samantha stepped on Malfoy's toe just as Hagrid interrupted him. "Tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts. Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful of yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!"

Samantha watched as Malfoy held his breath and glared at Hagrid. She knew he noticed that and that he would most definitely retaliate, but it was so worth the look on his face.

"Right then, now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."

As soon as Hagrid turned around, Malfoy elbowed Samantha in the side. She bit her lip to keep in the squeak of pain and shock. Harry, Hermione, and Neville sent Malfoy a glare.

They followed Hagrid over to the edge of the forest, Samantha and Malfoy hitting and pushing each other.

"Quit it!" Hermione whispered harshly.

Samantha pinched Malfoy's arm one last time, jumping away from his clenched hand that was being aimed at her face. She sent Malfoy a huge grin, he sent her a glare that probably would have killed her - if glares could kill, that is.

"Look here, see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

Samantha stared at the blood. She felt sick to her stomach. Who would want to hurt something so pure? She had read a few books on unicorns and they were so amazing in her eyes.

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" asked Malfoy. Samantha didn't smirk at the fear in his voice. She was now somewhat scared herself.

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang. An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

Samantha's nausea became stronger. She grabbed her stomach and breathed heavily.

"I want Fang," Malfoy said, motioning to the dog.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward." Malfoy sent the dog a look as Fang licked his nose. "So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, Samantha, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now -"

The group sent up green sparks, although Neville's was more like a Muggle sparkler.

"That's it - an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh - so, be careful - let's go."

The group walked into the forest. Samantha noted how dark it was. She was never really scared of the dark but the shimmering pools of blood made everything that much more eerily. The nausea intensified and she found it hard to keep in her dinner.

The group drew to a fork. Samantha's group took the path to the right, and the other group went left.

Soon, Samantha could no longer hear Hagrid's booming footsteps and all was quiet. A branch snapping made Samantha run forward and grab Neville's hand. Only, it didn't feel like Neville's hand. She looked at Malfoy. He was looking down at their conjoined hands. Within seconds, Samantha had let go of his hand and grabbed Neville's. She was blushing madly.

The three walked forward and soon, Samantha noticed that Malfoy had disappeared. "Malfoy?" she whispered, looking around and drawing Neville closer to her. She couldn't see the boy anywhere. Panic rising to her throat, she called, a bit louder, "Malfoy?"

A hand grabbed her shoulder and both she and Neville let out screams. Neville, who had been holding his wand like a life-line, raised his wand to the sky and sent out bright red sparks. If Samantha hadn't been fearing for her life, she would have been impressed.

The girl swung around and shouted the first spell that came to mind. It was an advanced one she had been reading up on. "Stupefy!"

As soon as she had cast it, she knew she had done it wrong. Malfoy flew backward and landed on the ground. He was awake and staring wide-eyed at the canopied sky.

"Oh, Merlin," Samantha muttered, rushing forward. She knelt down beside the boy and he looked at her with angry eyes.

"What the bloody hell was that?" he demanded in a wheezing voice.

Samantha almost laughed. "Stunning spell. I've been learning about it. I didn't cast it right, though."

Malfoy glared at her as he sat up. "I hate you."

"Aww, really? I hadn't noticed," Samantha said with a snort

The sound of Hagrid's footsteps echoed around the clearing they were in. As he came into view, he was waving his crossbow around, searching for the danger.

"Malfoy scared us, Hagrid," Samantha said, leaving the boy to get up himself. "He came up behind Neville and I and scared us out of our wits."

Hagrid narrowed his eyes at Malfoy. "Why is he all the way ov'r there?"

Samantha wrung her hands together. "I, uh, accidentally sent the stunning spell at him. It didn't work."

"Good. Hopefully, that'll teach 'im a lesson. Come on, you lot."

As they made their way back to Hermione and Harry, Samantha steered clear from Malfoy. She was irritated with herself that she had actually been worried about him when he had _disappeared_.

**A/N: Hey, guys! Here we have chapter twenty and it is long! I think it's the longest chapter yet. Just an FYI, but I used Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone a lot for this chapter and I normally do not like doing that, but I like this chapter. I promise it won't be for every chapter. And I might just be updating this book just once a week. I think updating on Mondays and Fridays is a little much, plus I think that's what caused me to write such short chapters, you know? I also want to write ahead and that too is also hard to do when updating that often. So, I will be updating every Monday starting today. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

Once they made it back to Hermione and Harry, Hagrid split them up into groups once more. Only this time, Samantha would be going with Harry, Draco, and Fang.

The group walked in silence as they grew deeper and deeper into the forest. Samantha was concerned that the puddles of shimmering blood seemed to be getting bigger the farther they went.

"Look -" Harry held his arm to stop us from walking forward.

Samantha took a shuddering breath as her eyes fell on the unicorn. It was dead. Tears filled her eyes at the sad, beautiful creature.

Harry took a step forward but and slithering sound made all of them freeze. It felt like ice entered into her veins. In the clearing, a hooded figure crawled out of the shadows. The figure approached the unicorn, lowered its face to the unicorn's wound, and started to drink the blood.

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Malfoy screeched, turning and running away, Fang followed close behind the boy. As he passed Samantha, he grabbed her robes and dragged her after him.

"Malfoy, let go! We have to go back to Harry!" Samantha screamed at the boy.

But the blonde ignored her while his grip on her tightened.

Once Malfoy was good with the distance between them and Harry, he slowed to a stop. Samantha glared at him before sending red sparks into the air. "What were you thinking? We left Harry back there! He could be killed!"

"We could've been killed!" Malfoy countered.

Samantha rolled her eyes before sending another spark. "If he dies, I'll never forgive myself."

They waited, Fang a whimpering mess, for a good ten minutes before Hagrid came crashing through the forest.

"Where's Harry?" he asked, looking at Samantha.

She explained the situation and the half-giant ran where they had come. Hermione followed after him despite him telling them to stay.

"You think he'll be alright?" Neville asked, holding Samantha's hand.

"I have no idea," she whispered, feeling sick to her stomach.

By the time everything had settled down, Samantha was tempted to just lay down on the forest floor and sleep, scary cloaked figures be damned.

Hagrid must have seen how tired Samantha was because he told the group to head up to the castle without him, saying, "You've gotten yer fair share o' detention."

They silently headed up to the Gryffindor common room, save for Malfoy. As they entered the common room, Samantha saw a sleeping Ron but couldn't bring herself to care. She and Neville parted ways with the Golden Trio and each other.

Samantha tore her clothes off, put her pajamas on as fast as possible, and jumped into bed. Within seconds she was asleep.

* * *

"How was detention?" George asked, sitting next to her in the common room the next morning.

Samantha groaned and blinked tiredly. At about four in the morning, she had woken from the scariest nightmare she had ever had. She decided she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so she ended up heading down to the common room and read a book.

Of course, once she started thinking about detention, she had gotten about a million questions running through her mind. Who was the cloaked figure? Why had Malfoy dragged her away? Why had she been worried about the Slytherin when he disappeared? And so many more she couldn't process.

"Terrible," was her simple answer as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the sofa. "Just terrible."

"That bad, huh? Was it with Filch?" Fred asked, grabbing her potions book and flipping through it.

Samantha grabbed it from him, looked at the page she was supposed to be studying and sighed. She rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the soreness in them. "No, actually. It was with Hagrid. We went into the Forbidden Forest. We were looking for a wounded unicorn."

Bile rose to her throat as the image of the dead unicorn came to mind.

"Did you find it?"

Samantha swallowed roughly, nodding. "Yes."

Fred sent her a concerned look. "Was it, uh, dead?"

Samantha quickly stood up. "Can we not talk about this? I should go get ready." She walked up to her dorm as fast as she could without running.

Once she got into the washroom, she knelt down next to the toilet and emptied her stomach.

She heard someone come in and gasp. "Oh, Samantha," Hermione said. The girl grabbed Samantha's hair and pulled it away.

Samantha started to cry because no child should have ever witnessed something like that. No one should ever have to watch someone drink the blood of a pure creature. Once she finished, she sat back on her heels and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "I'm sorry," she rasped.

Hermione knelt down next to Samantha. "Don't apologize. Last night was very worrisome."

Samantha laughed dryly. "More like a nightmare. Do either you or Harry know what the creature was?"

Hermione looked away while she bit her lip.

"Hermione?"

"We think we know who it was," the girl whispered.

Samantha gulped. "Who? What do you mean by who? It was a monster, it wasn't a who, it was a thing."

Hermione cringed. "You have to swear you won't tell anyone." After a nod from Samantha, Hermione sighed. "It was You-Know-Who."

"Voldemort?" It escaped before she could stop it.

Hermione gasped like Samantha had said the foulest word ever.

Samantha didn't understand. Wasn't he gone? Hadn't Harry killed him when he was just a baby? She wanted to laugh at the obviousness of the situation. Of course, Voldemort was still alive. How could a baby kill the most powerful Dark Wizard of all time? Of bloody course.

And now, he was just waiting for the right time to rise to power again.

Hermione stood up. "I have to go to the library with Harry and Ron. You're alright?"

Samantha nodded, standing as well. "Yes, I'm fine. Have fun."

"Thank you," Hermione said with a smile. The girl left, closing the door behind her.

"Oh dear," Samantha muttered, undressing and climbing into the bath. She had a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

When she had finished getting ready, despite all the things that were going through her mind, she felt refreshed. She headed down to breakfast with the purpose of apologizing to Fred and George.

Unfortunately, Malfoy had other plans.

"Jones!" he called.

Samantha stopped in her tracks. She looked at the doors to the Great Hall in irritation. She had been so close. "What, Malfoy?" she asked, turning on her heel.

The Slytherin smirked while Crabbe and Goyle guffawed behind him. "How are you feeling?"

"And why would you care?" she asked with a roll of her eyes.

Malfoy's silver eyes flashed with amusement. "I don't necessarily care, you just seemed quite scared last night."

"Like you were any better," Samantha scoffed. Without giving him a chance to say anything else, Samantha went into the Great Hall.

Making her way to the Gryffindor table, she glowered. Malfoy didn't have any right to say anything about how she was scared. He had screamed like a girl.

**A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry I didn't update on Monday but guess what! I finished this book! WHOOP WHOOP! I am done writing it and honestly, I'm kind of really tempted to just publish it all today. I think I will. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Samantha took a seat beside Neville. The twins were sitting across from him, poking at their food. But as soon as they saw Samantha they started apologizing.

"We're sorry for pushing -"

"We should've waited for you to tell us."

Samantha shook her head, holding her hands up. "It's fine. I shouldn't have left so quickly."

They both sent her cringe-like smiles.

"You're alright though?" Neville asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright," she answered. It was a lie but what else was she supposed to say? Her friends couldn't do anything to help her. She needed a change of subject. "Are you ready for exams?"

George laughed. "I think we'll pass, right, Forge?" he asked, looking at his brother.

Fred grinned. "Right you are, Gred."

"I guess so," Neville said, poking at his eggs. "I'm just worried about the potions exam."

Samantha remembered their first potions class and every potions class since then. Poor Neville had been bullied by Professor Snape all year. She patted her friend's arm. "Don't worry, Neville, we'll be partners and I'll make sure you get passing marks."

"Thank you, Samantha," he said with a smile.

* * *

"Ahh," Samantha sighed, laying down in the grass.

She felt Neville plop down beside her and sigh as well. "We did it," he said.

Feeling the warmth of the sun on her body and the softness of the grass made her more relaxed than she had in weeks. The stress of the exams, detention, E.M.R, and everything else just floated away. She felt like she had when she was just plain old Samantha Jones living in Oxford, England.

"We did it," she repeated. "Now we have a whole week to do whatever we want, a whole week of freedom!"

Neville laughed. "I could lay here all week."

"Hmm, me too. It's so warm." She stretched her arms out and took a deep breath. "I could lay here forever."

"Hey, Jones, Longbottom!"

Samantha opened her eyes and looked toward the Black Lake. Fred, George, and Lee were wading knee deep in the water. They were drenched. "Nope! We're perfectly fine where we are! I don't feel like getting wet!"

"Too bad!" George yelled.

Samantha realized his wand was raised above his head and pointed at her and Neville. She looked up and saw a ball of water floating above them. "George!" she screamed as he dropped it on their heads.

Gasping at the cold water, Samantha shot off toward the Black Lake. A smirk was plastered on her face as she pulled her wand out. All three boys' faces looked scared.

"I was just kidding," George said, backing away. "Here I know a spell to dry you off." He pointed his wand at Samantha but before he could mutter any spell, she threw her wand on the grass beside the boys' bags and ran into the water.

Within seconds, Samantha reached George and pushed him into the water. Her proud smile was wiped off her face as he pulled her in after him. The water was actually quite refreshing in the warm afternoon.

Surfacing together, Samantha splashed George in the face. He sputtered out water before splashing her back. Soon, all four students were in a splashing match.

"Come on, Neville!" Samantha called to her friend as Fred splashed her.

Neville was laughing happily as he ran down to the lake. About half-way, he tripped but caught himself. He waded into the water, grinning.

Samantha splashed him and he gasped at her. "Hey!"

She shrugged. "Don't expect me to play fair, this is war!"

* * *

"That was so much fun," Samantha muttered. She and all four boys were laying underneath a tree.

"Agreed," Lee said tiredly.

Samantha propped herself up on her elbows. All of them seemed close to sleep. "I propose we go to the common room and tell scary stories."

Fred and George opened their eyes at the same time, smirks appearing on their faces. "I like that proposition, Sam."

"Me too," Neville murmured, sitting up with a drowsy look.

With that, the group headed up to the castle after gathering their stuff. They all got ready in their pajamas and headed downstairs. Samantha invited Angelina, Alicia, and Katie when she saw them.

That night was one of the few nights in which Samantha was not pondering over something serious. She just had fun with her friends and that was something amazing.

**A/N: OMW OMW OMW I am so happy! Two more chapters! I hope you all like this chapter!  
**


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

At breakfast the next morning, everyone was talking about Harry and what had happened the night before. Samantha couldn't believe that Professor Quirrell had Voldemort living in him for the whole school year.

Although, it made sense and now Halloween night was cleared up for her. He let the troll in and was trying to keep everyone away from the third floor to steal the Sorcerer's Stone.

"Hey, Sam, we're gonna send Harry a toilet seat," Fred said, grinning mischievously.

"You sure Madam Pomfrey will allow that?" she questioned with raised eyebrows.

"Probably not but it's worth a try," George answered.

Samantha laughed. "You two have fun. I'd rather not do anything that could get me in trouble."

"Suit yourself." And with that, the twins left the Great Hall.

Samantha looked over at Neville. He looked tired and depressed. She had found him early in the morning completely frozen except for his eyes. "How are you feeling, Neville?" She felt incredibly bad for him, he'd had people bully him and have accidents all year.

"I can't wait until this year is over, honestly. We're not going to win the House Cup because of me." He rested his chin on his arm, looking sadly at his pumpkin juice.

Samantha reached across and placed her hand on her friend's. "Oh, come on, Neville. Don't think like that. If it's anyone's fault, it's Malfoy's. He should have just minded his own business."

"Yeah," Neville sighed, still not looking persuaded.

Samantha sighed as well. She wanted to make her friend feel better. "You know I don't usually go to Quidditch matches but I'll go with you to the one tomorrow."

"Really?" he asked, perking up a bit.

Samantha nodded. She didn't like Quidditch but for her friend, she would do almost anything.

* * *

Samantha hated brooms and she hated flying. She didn't like the fact that she had to take the class all year long. And every Quidditch game that had been held over the year, she hadn't even gone to one, not even to cheer Fred and George on.

It was something soothing to have the common room all to herself for a couple of hours.

But now she was marching toward the Quidditch pitch with Neville, Hermione, and Ron. They climbed into the stands on Gryffindor's side and took their seats.

The June sun beat down on their heads as the Quidditch teams came onto the pitch. Samantha watched as the team captains shook hands and Madam Hootch started the game.

It was a mess of flying people. She barely could hear Lee giving commentary over the cheering of the crowds.

Samantha wasn't well versed in Quidditch but she knew enough to realized Gryffindor was losing. The Gryffindor crowd groaned as one of the Ravenclaw beaters hit a bludger at one of the twins. It hit him right in the stomach and almost knocked him off his broom.

Samantha's chest tightened in fear. The twin coughed and signaled to Wood that he was good.

"This is madness," Samantha muttered, running a hand through her hair.

"This is Quidditch, Jones," Ron said, cheering as Gryffindor scored.

Samantha wasn't sure if she was grateful or sad when Ravenclaw's seeker caught the snitch and they won the match and the Quidditch Cup.

Walking back to the castle, Samantha found herself between Fred and George. "Who got hit in the stomach?" she asked.

George raised his hand and flinched at the sudden movement, his other hand going to his stomach.

Samantha bit her lip. "You need to see Madam Pomfrey."

She led the boys up to the Hospital Wing and explained to Madam Pomfrey what happened. She made George lay down in a bed. She left the room for a few minutes, saying she needed to find a potion.

"Is that where Harry is?" she asked, motioning to the curtains around a bed.

The twins nodded. "Yeah, Madam Pomfrey confiscated the toilet seat yesterday, but we gave him some Chocolate Frogs," Fred said.

Samantha sighed, hoping the boy would get better soon.

After Madam Pomfrey gave George some nasty smelling potion, she told them they were good to leave.

It was a somber type of feeling as they headed up to the common room. Samantha wasn't ready for the end-of-year feast.

* * *

The Great Hall was filled with talking students as they waited for Dumbledore to start speaking. It reminded Samantha of the sorting ceremony on the first day of September.

Except Slytherin won the house cup. And Malfoy kept throwing Gryffindor table nasty grins.

Everyone's eyes followed Harry as he made his way over to the table. Samantha smiled at him softly, he smiled back.

Dumbledore arrived and he started his speech. At first, it was simple and expected, he stated in which place each house was in, and once he mentioned Slytherin house who won with four-hundred and seventy-two, the Slytherins cheered loudly.

Then came the shocking part of it.

Professor Dumbledore gave Ron and Hermione fifty points each, Harry sixty points, and sweet Neville ten. They had won the House Cup by pure luck or some amazing miracle.

Samantha hugged Neville tightly as Dumbledore changed the Slytherin banners to Gryffindor. Her friend hugged her back, looking shocked.

After the hall quieted down, Dumbledore finished his speech and the food appeared out of mid-air just like it had at the start-of-term feast. Samantha spoke with her friends happily as they ate.

She couldn't wait until she went back to the orphanage and tell Betty everything that had happened. Worry flourished in her when she realized she hadn't heard from her friend in a while. But she didn't have time to think about that, she was sure Betty was just busy or something.

* * *

The rest of her time at Hogwarts went by quickly. She got her exam results and was pleasantly surprised that she was right behind Hermione in the grades. She was proud of Neville, he actually did a very good job.

Samantha was walking down the train with Neville, looking for an empty compartment.

"Hey, Sam, wanna sit with us?" George asked, motioning to his compartment, inside was Fred, Lee, Angelina, Katie, and Alicia.

Samantha was tempted. She thought they were all cool but she knew that Neville wasn't too comfortable around them. "It's okay, George. Thanks anyway."

George nodded before going inside the compartment.

"You could've sat with them," Neville said once they found an empty compartment.

Shaking her head, Samantha sat Felix's cage on the seat and smiled at her friend. "Nah, I wouldn't want to leave my best friend to sit all by himself."

Neville smiled back. "Thank you for being my friend, Samantha. I was actually worried I wouldn't make any friends this year. But then I met you and Harry and Ron and Hermione."

That made Samantha's heart hurt because he was so sweet and clumsy and adorable. Who wouldn't want to be his friend? "Of course, I gotta be honest, I really didn't want to make any friends. I didn't want to lose them like I lost my family. But then Betty came along, then you. Now I'm friends with way too many people. It's just really weird."

And it was because she was still scared to lose her friends but she cared about them too much to just stop being their friend.

"Don't worry, Samantha, you won't ever lose me." Neville reached across and held her hand in his.

"I better not," Samantha muttered with a smirk.

Neville laughed and then changed the conversation to the fact that they had to keep in contact over the summer.

A couple of hours later, Neville was taking a nap and Samantha was looking out of her window. Felix hooted and she smiled at him. She couldn't believe that a year ago she was living in an orphanage waiting impatiently for someone from the wizarding world to come and see her and that she only had Betty for her friend.

Not to mention, she might know who killed her family. And she had something to look forward to every September.

She had changed too. A lot. It was wicked.

"Ready to see Betty again, Felix?" she asked her owl.

Felix hooted happily and flapped his wings.

Samantha chuckled. "Me too."

**A/N: Just one more and then we are done! XD**


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

After bidding her friends goodbye outside the Hogwarts Express, she left the wizarding world and found herself among muggles.

Through the crowd, she found Tom from the Leaky Cauldron. She grinned at him and waved. He waved back. "How was your year?" he asked, grabbing her trunk from her and holding his arm out.

"Amazing," she said with a grin. "I can't wait 'til next year."

Tom smiled and they disapparated away from King's Cross. Within seconds, they were standing in front of her orphanage. She took in the familiar building and trees. "Thank you, Tom," she said, taking her trunk.

"You're welcome, Miss Jones. When would you like me to bring you to Diagon Alley?"

"You'd do that?" Samantha questioned, grinning at a car that drove by. She kind of missed muggle life.

"Of course, you need your books for next year and I doubt you have anyone who could take you to Diagon Alley."

"Thank you, Tom," she said, hugging the man.

"Oh," he said, shocked at the affection.

"How about a week before term starts?" Samantha asked, backing away. She looked back at the orphanage, she couldn't wait to see Betty any longer.

Tom nodded, bid her goodbye, and apparated away.

Not wasting any time, Samantha ran up to the doors and knocked repeatedly. Ms. Opal opened it and she smiled brightly. "Samantha! How was school?" She opened her arms out and Samantha fell into them, finding that she had missed the matron.

"It was so much fun!" Samantha cried. She left Ms. Opal's arms and went inside. She looked around at all the other orphans, searching for her friend's sweet face. "Where's Betty?" she asked, turning toward Ms. Opal.

Ms. Opal's smile faltered. "Oh, well, hun, she was adopted while you were gone."

Samantha's stomach dropped and her smile fell off her face.

**A/N: Dun dun dunnnnn, we are done! Okay, thank you to all who have reviewed, favorited, followed and really just read this story! It's really hard for me to finish books but I did it! And I promise I won't restart, but I may go through it and make it sound better. Now, let's get down to business. On the 2nd of March, I will be publishing the first chapter of four books and I will be putting a poll on my page. You guys get to pick basically which book you want to me write. Alright, well, thank you guys so much for reading this book!**


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